Wheeled skis have been known heretofore. For example, wheeled skis are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,706 to Milliman and U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,187 to Shimizu. The prior type of wheeled skis however have been designed for use on paved roadway. While such prior wheeled skis are capable of being used to simulate some maneuvers of snow skiing, they are not suitable for simulating the actual conditions of snow skiing because they cannot effectively be used off road on downhill ski slopes, on cross country trails or on other unpaved ground surfaces.
Another disadvantage of the prior art wheeled skis is that they do not demonstrate an adequate system for braking or otherwise controlling the speed and direction of the movement. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,187 to Shimizu shows that the rider or operator of the skis is required to hold on to a rope or bridle connected between the tips of each ski and to pull back on the bridle so as to tilt the skis to permit a brake pad on the back end of each ski to contact the ground. Such a braking mechanism would be totally unacceptable on an off road ski slope. It would be dangerous for the rider to tilt backwards, possibly losing balance and control. In contrast, the present invention provides a braking system which operates selectively on the back wheels of each ski. In the preferred embodiment, the braking system is controlled by a hand held brake connected to the wheel mechanism through a conventional cable.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an off road wheeled ski which simulates closely the actual maneuvers and conditions of snow skiing under off road conditions such as unpaved hillsides and on cross country and off season conventional ski slopes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pair of wheeled skis which may be mounted on conventional ski boots. The speed and direction of movement is controlled through the correct balance of the body of the skier and selective use of the braking system thereby to simulate conventional snow skiing motion.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a pair of wheeled skis having a braking system acting on each ski which, through proper manipulation, enables the skier to simulate the conditions of traditional snow skiing.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a pair of wheeled skis which may be used during the snow season especially on relatively hard-packed groomed or even ungroomed but otherwise well used ski trails.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a pair of wheeled axis which will be comparatively simple in construction and at the same time desirably rigid, strong and durable.